Pre-Workout snack: carbs or fats or better nothing?

Hello guys!

Considering that I have lunch at 12:30 -13:00 and my workout starts at 18:00 -18:30 I always thought that to add a pre-workout snack in the middle afternoon (around 16:00) was a good idea.

So this is what I've been doing currently: some season fruits (e.g. 2 tangerines plus 1/2 apple or banana, or some strawberries)  and a bit of coffee espresso to "wake me up" after that 8-9 hours in office.

De facto my snack is a source of carbs! I was wondering if this is a good habit, or I should look for other options! Perhaps Do I not promote the fat burning between lunch and dinner in this way? Or is there another reason for which I should think to change my current habit?

So in practice should I look for a fat source instead (some ideas)? I always had a bit of concern about it, because I've thought I could found it a bit too "heavy" for my gut before workout session.

Or the best option is to add nothing between lunch and workout session (6 hours apart more or less), considering that the sources from lunch meal should be more than enough to have a sufficient energy for the workout?

So what do you suggest in order to be 100% compliant to an ideal habit and to be "full of energy" for my workout?

Thank you guys!

Alessandro

Are you hungry during your workout if you don t eat anything? I wouldn t eat anything unless I were hungry. I m always eating when I m hungry but it s true that there are some people who don t realize when they need to it and they can be for hours and hours without eating. If that s your case I would add the snack just before your workout.

I don t know of that will help you but i always train in the last part of lunch digestion, let s say last 1 hour or 1 hour and a half. It s so by accident and also I feel the best this way. So normally I have to eat a snack (some fruits) jus few minutes after working out. 

I read from Jeff that the best time for fruit is after the workout. I guess that the second best option is probably just before your workout.

On the other hand, after 6 hours of any meal (lunch, dinner or whatever) I would always be hungry. That s a lot of time for me but don t know how it works for others.

Only an Italian drinks espresso at 1600! Hahaha! 

Fruit is a good choice, I would consider adding some protein. Dont worry about fat for this snack. 

@Alessandro Di Sanzo, thanks for asking this. I was about to ask the same question!  @Jeff Serven is there a good "quick" protein source for pre-workout snack that doesn't involve dairy? I eat tons of dairy but it doesn't sit well just prior to a workout. What I've been doing is eating fruit + nuts,  or grain + nuts (granola/protein bar). Nuts have fat and aren't a complete protein, but if I eat complete protein for my meals is it ok to have the fat/protein combo of nuts for a snack? I can't find any decent jerky around here that isn't swimming in sugar and preservatives. My parents made some venison jerky for me but I think they ate it all before they could get it shipped. I don't blame them though!

@Alessandro Di Sanzo, I would think you'd want to get some protein in before the work out. If your lunch finishes around 13:00, then you'd probably want to get some food in around 17:00/17:30. Some carbs would probably be fine (especially if it's a whole fruit with the good fiber), but I'd want that meal to be more heavily weighted toward protein so that there's more protein available to my body when the workout starts. 

As to quick protein, @Shari Lawrence, there are some other options besides seeds/nuts and jerky. Two of my go-tos are pre-cooked soy beans (mukimame or pre-shelled edamame) or a single serving of hummus with snap peas. If I've had the time to do it right, I also love home-made refried beans (where I can control the amount of fat, salt, and spices--plus i can do some sautéed veggie add-ins). All of these will do more or less fine at room temperature for a few hours. And I'll pack them up in some pre-portioned containers. One point about the hummus, I find that if it was made with a lot of oil, it doesn't sit well when I'm exerting myself. 

Beans and hummus are considered carbs in Thrive. You can make a protein powder/fruit/green leaves smothie before your workout. Sometimes I just take a protein shake and a piece of fruit.

Thanks for the ideas! Any protein powder recommendations? Most of the ones I've seen have artificial flavor and sweetener.

I also love beans and hummus, but wasn't sure if that could count for both carbs and protein and not sure I could eat it right before a workout.  I do really like edamame and it would make a quick easy snack. Wondering also about quinoa? I had a good protein/granola type bar once made with quinoa fruit and nuts (not sure brand). Probably had some honey in it too.

@Shari Lawrence NOW and Jarrows are good brands that make several protein powders without any artificial sweeteners or junk. 

On 3/15/2017 at 5:36 PM, Jeff Serven said:

Only an Italian drinks espresso at 1600! Hahaha! 

Fruit is a good choice, I would consider adding some protein. Dont worry about fat for this snack. 

@Jeff Serven ahahah, any time is a good time for espresso .

Regarding your suggestion of adding some protein, I was thinking about some foods I usually don't have in the other meals...

what about high quality cured meats like bresaola or turkey, which are also very low on fats? or even some wall nuts when I'm in a rush are ok? (they have a certain amount of protein, right?)

I read suggestions above about adding protein powder too. I am quite uninformed about this topic, (kind, quantity, quality... absolute no idea! )... some people neglets their use, other ones highly suggest them... Who is right? I also saw a few friends of mine using them in a quite superficial way, and I didn't want to commit the same mistake...  I should look also in my own context of GST... In summary: in the doubt, I've always stayed away from them, considering it only as distraction... for now! Currently I am quite happy because I fixed most of my bad previous habits. However, That doesn't mean in the next future I will never consider them.

I would use essential amino acids over protein powder. Yea, the meats you mention are a good choice. 

https://www.bodysystemslabs.com/blogs/news/20025217-essential-amino-acids-and-branched-chain-amino-acids

On 3/16/2017 at 6:47 PM, Shari Lawrence said:

Thanks for the ideas! Any protein powder recommendations? Most of the ones I've seen have artificial flavor and sweetener.

I also love beans and hummus, but wasn't sure if that could count for both carbs and protein and not sure I could eat it right before a workout.  I do really like edamame and it would make a quick easy snack. Wondering also about quinoa? I had a good protein/granola type bar once made with quinoa fruit and nuts (not sure brand). Probably had some honey in it too.

For those looking for a good protein powder I recommend Naked Whey. Produced from grass fed cows with no additional ingredients.

https://nkdnutrition.com/products/grass-fed-whey-protein-powder?gclid=Cj0KEQjw6LXIBRCUqIjXmdKBxZUBEiQA_f50Pue7sHtrHj6X9BHqBnMykjlaNAZyLB6miqIk4SE0Y68aAgxn8P8HAQ

The concept of "Grass fed whey" is oxygen moron. On a molecular level everything outside of the whey is removed. Everything else is removed either way so it really doest matter what it started as given the AA ratio is still there.